


Darling Clementine

by mc2rt



Category: Naruto
Genre: Cozy winter fluff, F/M, Fluff, No beta I'm too shy, One Shot, Post-War, Romance, Short One Shot, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-14
Updated: 2021-01-14
Packaged: 2021-03-18 14:14:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28744551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mc2rt/pseuds/mc2rt
Summary: Wintertime is cozy and sweet for Tamaki and Kiba when she comes to visit. After a snowball fight at the orchard, they pass the afternoon lazily eating clementines under the kotatsu. She's finding his place more and more inviting. (One shot)
Relationships: Inuzuka Kiba/Tamaki
Kudos: 3





	Darling Clementine

**Author's Note:**

> This is from Tamaki's POV, but I wrote this so Kiba could be happy :')
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

Tamaki spun around, dressed in her new lounging outfit gifted to her by Kiba. "How do I look?" She struck a pose, displaying her fuzzy pajama pants, adorned with paw prints, and a trendy coral-coloured cable knit sweater, which his sister definitely helped pick out. 

He grinned and waved his finger, requesting she twirl again. "Like a million bucks." He patted Akamaru, who was nestled between his back and the wall. "What do you think?"

Akamaru raised his head nonchalantly and gave an indifferent bark before returning to his nap.

Tamaki smirked at the lazy dog with a playful glint in her honey brown eyes. "I've already won over Kiba. I'll win you over next, big guy."

Kiba reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze as she settled across from him at the kotatsu. "He likes you, he just doesn't want to show it. Cat-dog rivalry stuff." 

She chuckled. Her grandmother, an avid cat fancier, was astonished upon learning her granddaughter was going steady with an Inuzuka. According to her, they were a clan of uncouth primitives who got riled up at any dumb thing.

Kiba was definitely rough around the edges, but when Tamaki discovered a charming softness in him, she was smitten. With his elbows on the table, head propped in his hands, he gazed at her with overflowing adoration. It made her cheeks glow red hot every time.

"You're the only girl for me, Tamaki. You know that, right?"

She leaned over and planted a kiss on his forehead before slipping her legs beneath the covers. "Obviously. You're always looking at me like I'm a puddle of sleepy kittens." And every time she came to visit, he spoiled her silly. Last time, Tamaki mentioned off-hand how a kotatsu was a winter must-have. Now, they could spend the afternoon relaxing under one.  
  
She stretched her legs into the warmth beneath the table with a relaxed sigh. She couldn't remember a time when she didn't have to push through a crowd of cats to get a seat at the kotatsu. Some of them were toe-biters and the collective heat from their furry bodies was hotter than the sun. Sharing with just Kiba was perfect. She could get used to this.

He picked up the remote control and turned on the television. Neither were picky about programming. They just liked the background noise. Coming from busy households, they weren't used to the quiet of his apartment.

Kiba grabbed a clementine from the bowl on the table and began peeling it. He eyed Tamaki with a cheeky smile. "I'll get you next time." He must have meant when she stuffed a handful of snow down his pants earlier.

They had begun their day with a nice, long walk to the clementine orchard, where they picked some fruit. Somehow, it then devolved into a snowball fight. Tamaki was outnumbered against Kiba and Akamaru, but she gave it her all, holding out against them before they were all ushered off the property.

He reached forward to feed her the first piece of their first clementine of the season. "How is it?"

It wasn't something she had the chance to enjoy often. The pungent zest from the peel would inevitably seep underneath her fingernails. The cats at home detested the smell and always raised a ruckus. She beamed as the tangy sweetness touched her tongue. He handed her the rest and began peeling another.

Satisfied with her snack, she lay down for a nap. Yawning, she reached for a cushion and slid it under her head. It was soft and smelled faintly of laundry soap. When Kiba first moved out on his own, his only cushions were old, flattened, and smelled like wet dog. Since then, he'd transformed the place from a barren bachelor pad to an acceptably clean and cozy home. She was proud of him.

Her eyelids grew heavy as she felt herself drifting off into warm, comfy bliss. Under the kotatsu, she gently brushed his leg with her foot. "I love you," she murmured.

When she awoke, the room smelled faintly of citrus. Kiba had dozed off, resting against Akamaru. Clementine skins were piled at his side of the table. The fruit bowl was full of peeled clementines.

Quietly, she crawled next to him. Trying not to wake him, she slipped her legs beneath the blanket. Akamaru shifted slightly, still asleep.

Without opening an eye, Kiba reached for her waist and pulled her snug against his side. Tamaki brought his other hand to her lips. She kissed his fingernails, stained yellow with the fragrance of fresh fruit. Then she opened his hand, softly nuzzling her cheek in his palm. "So sweet..."

Groggy, he turned to her, blinking slowly. "The clementines?" Still holding her, his fingers crept slightly under her sweater, tracing citrus-scented circles on her side.

She guided his face towards her to taste the sweetness of his lips. "You."

He rolled to his side so he could wrap both arms around her. "Hey, I've been thinking..." He kissed her again. Their legs intertwined. "If you can't get enough of me, why don't you come live with me?"

She reached her hands into his dark, chestnut hair. He practically melted into her as she lightly scratched along the sides of his head. "What if Grandma gets lonely?"

"Visit her all you like. It's not like I'm trapping you here. Besides, doesn't she have, like, a hundred cats to keep her company?"

She bat him on the chest. "She doesn't have _that_ many. She's only got six--" She paused, counting on her fingers. "Sixty one. I think?"

"A-anyway, there's no rush to decide." He smoothed her hair away from her face and planted a kiss on her forehead, letting his lips linger for a moment. "I love you and I want to spend more time with you."

Tamaki's heart fluttered. Not knowing how else to react to his tender words, she buried her face into him, clutching his shirt. She was reminded again of how his place had changed. A pair of slippers in her size that hadn't been in Akamaru's mouth. A dedicated dresser drawer for her spare clothes. The kotatsu. He was making his home inviting for _her_.

Slowly, she collected herself and gazed back at him. In a hushed voice, she replied, "Kiba, you make me feel like a million bucks. Of course I'll move in with you."

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> I had a writing crisis about fruit. Is it acceptable to use tangerine/clementine/orange interchangeably? (I decided no, for fear of offending fruit purists.) Also, I had a lot of trouble describing eating a piece of orange without sounding super formal or aggressive. How else can you describe tearing off a piece of orange? AND, how else do you describe a piece of orange without sounding technical? Segment? Wedge??
> 
> PS: I'm sorry I treated Akamaru like furniture :(


End file.
